Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has finished in the top five in MVP voting in four different seasons. He's earned All-NBA First Team recognition in six. Unfortunately, Doncic's self-proclaimed goal of winning MVP has yet to be realized.
Thankfully, with LeBron James no longer on the Lakers, Doncic has a path to MVP that three-time winner Nikola Jokic can relate to: Elite statistical balance.,
Jokic is a three-time MVP who has set new standards for production, efficiency, and all-around offensive brilliance. One of the primary reasons his statistics so easily jump off the page, however, is that he's routinely ranked in the top 10 in points, rebounds, and assists per game—as well as the top 15 in steals.
Doncic, however, has a chance to do something even more spectacular: Rank in the top 10 in each, all the while winning a scoring title and competing for the league lead in three.
That may sound like an outlandish feat, but Doncic is already a two-time scoring champion. He's also coming off of a season in which he ranked third in assists, sixth in steals, and 22nd in rebounds. He was even second in three-point field goals made.
If Doncic builds upon that success—which he suddenly has the tools to do—and the Lakers win enough games to appease the crowd who prioritize record, he could win MVP.
Luka Doncic could have Jokic-level statistical balance without LeBron
Doncic played 1,131 minutes with LeBron James on the court and 1,158 without him in 2025-26. During the minutes he played with James, he averaged 28.9 points, 7.6 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per 75 possessions while shooting 35.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Those numbers all skyrocketed to 38.7 points, 9.1 assists, and 9.0 rebounds per 75 possessions while shooting 37.9 percent from distance when James wasn't on the court.
Assuming Doncic can maintain anything close to that type of production with James out of the picture, he should be squarely in MVP conversations. Not only should he compete for a second straight scoring title, but could be in the running for the assists title, as well.
Furthermore, with a true defensive interior anchor finally on the roster in Walker Kessler, Doncic could take even more chances in the passing lanes and increase his already top-10 production in steals.
Numbers aren't everything, of course, but Doncic could have a statistical case that rivals those of Jokic or even 2017 winner Russell Westbrook. Compounded by the fact that he's fairly efficient—Doncic shot at a clip of .476/.366/.780 in 2025-26—there's an easily realistic path to repeating his success while adding more volume.
If Doncic can produce a Jokic-level stat line while helping the Lakers compete for a top spot in the West, MVP will be a more realistic goal than ever before.
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